On my family’s recent trip to Japan and China, four of us had the chance to fly on Japan Airlines in Premium Economy seats. Was the experience worth the extra miles? Absolutely!
Booking JAL Premium Economy
I booked the Premium Economy award seats almost 12 months in advance with British Airways Avios. My husband and son flew on a nonstop flight from DFW to Tokyo, and their award seats were 62,000 Avios each plus taxes/fees of $264.20. My daughter and I flew nonstop from LAX to Tokyo, and our award seats were 51,500 Avios each plus taxes/fees of $264.20. Note: British Airways has a distance-based award chart, which is why our flights from DFW were more expensive.
These same award flights cost less using Alaska or American Airlines miles (50,000 miles). However, since Alaska and AA release flights ~30 days after Japan Airlines and British Airways, there’s always a good chance those award seats will be snatched up before they become available on Alaska/AA. So, I decided to pay more and go with British Airways Avios to guarantee we’d get the seats.
Airport Experience with JAL Premium Economy
On Japan Airlines, Premium Economy has its own check-in line:
In addition, JAL Premium Economy passengers get access to airport lounges. At DFW, my husband and son got entry to the AA Admirals Club Lounge.
At LAX, my daughter and I had access to the oneworld lounge in the Tom Bradly International Terminal. The lounge was very spacious, not crowded, and had a good selection of food and drinks.
At the gate, JAL is very organized with signs. Premium Economy had its own line for boarding.
JAL Premium Economy Seats
The routes we flew had different aircrafts with minor differences. My husband and son flew to Tokyo on the Airbus A350-1000:
My daughter and I flew on the Boeing 777:
The Premium Economy seats on the two aircrafts are very similar. Both are in a fixed shell, so that when you recline you don’t encroach on the row behind you. Both have a seat width of almost 19 inches and a pitch of 42 inches (wow!). The seats both have leg rests, small dividers between the seats, water bottle holders, and charging outlets.
Some differences: The A350 seats have a bigger IFE monitor (16 inches vs. 12.1 inches). The A350 also had more updated technology (the legrest came up a full 90 degrees, seat adjustments were electronic instead of manual like on the 777).
As a comparison, here are the economy seats on the 777 aircraft. The seat width is nearly the same, but the armrests in between seats are much narrower. Also, the seat pitch is 33 inches and the monitor is 10.6 inches:
Each of our Premium Economy seats came with noise-cancelling headphones, slippers, an upgraded pillow and blanket set, and an amenity kit. The amenity kit included a shoehorn, earplugs, toothbrush set, moisture mask and eye mask.
On my flight, a flight attendant offered additional neck pillows to Premium Economy passengers. However, on my husband’s flight, he doesn’t recall that amenity being offered.
The big question: Were we able to sleep in these seats? Well, yes, but not for long. It wasn’t the seat’s fault. Our flights left too early in the day for us to really be tired. Still, it was great having the ample leg room to stretch out. But, my butt still got sore after several hours, and I had to keep standing up and walking around (same with my husband). Our kids didn’t have a problem with soreness or stiffness.
Food in Premium Economy
Both flights started with drinks and a Japanese snack mix. I grew quite fond of the cold green tea offered on board.
According to my husband, the food on his flight was the “best airline food he’s ever had.” His flight menu was different from mine:
For snacks, his flight had Milk Pudding Bread:
And Udon de Sky:
The final meal before landing was a pasta dish:
Our menu from LAX :
My daughter and I both chose the salmon bento box:
The meal wasn’t bad. But, our favorite part was definitely the miso soup poured hot in a cup! We had ice cream for dessert:
My flight didn’t have a formal snack except for the Udon in the Sky. Our final meal was more salmon, eggs and chicken:
I’m not positive I would call it the best airplane food I ever had, but it was near the top of my list for sure.
Entertainment and Service
The IFE system had plenty of shows and movies to keep us entertained. No complaints there.
The service from flight attendants was outstanding. They were all very attentive, cheerful and available.
Overall Thoughts
Flying to Asia from the US is a long haul. My family appreciated having the smaller rows of 2 seats, the extra elbow room, the bigger seat pitch and the upgraded amenities that JAL Premium Economy offers. Of course, in an ideal world, I’d book Business Class seats for all flights to Asia, However, those cost more miles and are harder to find. JAL Premium Economy is a nice step up from regular economy and worth the cost.
Author: Nancy
Nancy lives near Dallas, Texas, with her husband and three kids. Her favorite vacations include the beach, cruising and everything Disney.
We have recently flown on Japan Airlines in Premium Economy from Chicago to Haneda, and we had a very good experience as well. Definitely worth additional points – we were lucky enough to book our tickets through AA and Alaska. Food was pretty good, and flight attendants were very attentive. We are a family of 5 (all adults) and I consider the premium economy a sweet spot for us.
That said, we have returned on a nonstop flight from Haneda to New York on Japan Airlines in economy on a new A350-1000 and it was very good as well. Admittedly not as comfortable as premium economy, but comfortable enough to sleep 8 hours out of ~13. We all agreed we would do it again.
Looking forward to more posts from your trip to Japan and China!
42″ pitch is quite generous!
I can’t justify the amount of points needed to fly up front for my family of five, let alone even finding the space, which is close to impossible.
I’m glad to see Premium Economy being a viable option for families. The math didn’t work for our last overnight international flight but some other routes I’m eyeing in the future are a possibility.
@projectx Unfortunately, Premium Economy cabins are so small that award availability is usually limited to 2 per flight, from what I can tell. That means families will need to split up over multiple flights. It’s not a huge problem for my family since my kids are older and we flew to/from Japan in 3 groups of 2.